Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust - Case Study

The claimant was examined by a locum consultant plastic surgeon at a dermatology clinic within the Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust. Two months earlier, doctors at another hospital had removed a common form of skin tumour, known as a cellular dermatofibroma, from the woman's left thigh. Doctors suspected that the tumour might be a rare type of skin cancer. They advised the claimant to have the wound reopened and further tissue removed.

The locum consultant plastic surgeon did not run any tests or request the pathology results from the other hospital to confirm the suspicion of skin cancer. Instead, he told the claimant that she needed surgery consisting of a 3 centimetre wide excision. The wound would be closed using a transposition flap - a flap of skin and vascular tissue moved to cover the primary wound.

Shortly afterwards, the surgeon performed the procedure using a bi-lobed flap closure. This left the claimant with a conspicuous, 60 centimetre irregular scar on her left thigh and some numbness in the surrounding area. Due to the nature of the injury, there was no treatment available to reduce the visibility of the scar.

Later tests confirmed there was no cancer. The procedure had been unnecessary.

The claimant recovered well from her physical injury and was able to return to work after the usual period of recovery. However, she suffered depression and other psychological difficulties connected with the scarring. The depression eased with counselling and lasted a year. The claimant's remaining difficulties were expected to alleviate with time without the need for further treatment.

Compensation settlement

Damages of £40,000 were agreed in an out-of-court settlement. Of this, the sum £34,000 was attributed to pain, suffering and loss of amenity that the claimant had experienced as a result of her injury.

Making a compensation claim against the Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust

Making a claim for clinical negligence can seem daunting initially. Medical negligence claims are often technically complex and NHS Trusts can seem difficult to communicate with. In many cases, claimants are seeking answers or an apology as much as the compensation needed to funding their recovery and future care.

Our panel of solicitors have years of experience handling claims against NHS Trusts and with securing financial compensation for people affected by clinical or medical negligence.

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